At the beginning of February, Borderlands Books in San Francisco announced that, due to a hike in the city's new minimum wage law, the indie would be closing its doors at the end of March. However, in a new statement on its website, Borderlands said that after a meeting held last week, the owner and staff have come up with a potential solution to keep the store open.
In his outline of the plan to save the shop, store owner Alan Beatts wrote that, starting immediately, Borderlands will be offering $100 paid sponsorships of the store, which will be renewed each year. “If we get 300 sponsors before March 31, we will stay open for the remainder of 2015,” said Beatts.
“Our goal is to gather enough paid sponsors to cover the projected short-fall in income that will be the result of the minimum wage increase in San Francisco,” he continued. “At the beginning of next year we will again solicit sponsors. If next year we again reach our goal by March 31, we will remain open through 2016. This process will continue each year until we close, either because of a lack of sponsorship or for other reasons.”
A preliminary list of benefits for a sponsorship includes reserved seating at author events, access to preview sales of rare and collectable books, and the ability to rent the Borderlands space.
“Prior to the events of the last two weeks, I would never have imagined that something like what follows would ever be possible,” said Beatts. “The outpouring of affection and emotion that started the moment we announced that we were closing has changed forever the way the I and the rest of the staff see Borderlands. This place has always meant the world to us -- that's why we work here -- but we never imagined that it meant so much to so many people. Win or lose, open or close, we are all more grateful that we can express for your kind words, sincere compliments, and the belief that what we do matters.”
